The Campagnolo Hyperon Ultra Two wheelset is designed to be the best climbing wheel available. However, it proved quite a challenge for Campagnolo to come up with the clincher version, which incidentally sells for about $1,000 more.

2010 Campagnolo Hyperon Ultra Two clincher

The development of this carbon clincher was a big challenge for Campagnolo. These wheels are primarily used for climbing, and are ultra-stiff and ultra-light. They are a low-profile wheelset.

Campagnolo couldn’t just modify the rim of the tubular Hyperons. They had to produce a whole new rim. The reason is that some of the issues that aren’t that important for tubulars are very important for clinchers, such as resistance to tire pressure, brake-induced high temperatures, and road shock. These problems had to be addressed from a design stand point of view. Also, the rim material itself is different than the tubular Hyperon.

Ultra epithet for high-end Campagnolo wheelsets

The Hyperon Ultra Twos clinchers are the second generation of this design, and are the top of the line in clinchers from Campagnolo. This year, the Hyperon Ultra Twos employ Campagnolo’s Ceramic Ultimate Level Technology (CULT) bearings, which are unique since they don’t need specialized grease formulas as lubricants; they can use oil instead, which also minimizes drag, and makes maintenance easier. The CULT bearings are also used in the Bora Ultra Two tubular wheelset.

The CULT bearings are housed in a low-friction techno-polymer cage and paired with super-hard Cronitect races. They are 200 times more resistant to corrosion than stainless steel bearings, and 1,000 rounder.

Hyperon Ultra Two

The design of the Hyperon Ultra Two clinchers is low-profile to minimize inertia and drag as well as guarantee comfort during long race stages. The front rim is 21mm deep and the rear rim is 23mm deep. The rear wheel has a differential pattern spoking, which is used to improve lateral stiffness and the transmission of power. It also reduces the disparity in spoke tension between the two sides of the bike, the drive side and the non-drive side. The spokes are made out of stainless steel and there are 22 in the front and 24 in the back. The cross-section of the spokes will vary according to a specific load. The spokes are attached to the rims by using self-locking nuts and plates that have a special spherical coupling. This ensures that the spoke tension isn’t compromised during high torsional loads. The front wheel weighs 580 gr and the rear weighs 765 gr, with a combined weight of 1345 gr.

The Hyperon Ultra Twos require specific brake pads, which are supplied with the wheels, in order to function effectively. The Campagnolo Hyperon Ultra Two clinchers retail from $4,800 to $5,500 USD but I have them at a significantly lower price. Send me an email at djrange at gmail dot com or visit Asterisk*Cycles to find out more.

Although the Boras and the Mavic CCU are similar aero high-profile wheels, they look quite different and have slightly different weights (1319 gr vs 1185gr). The Mavic CCUs are more stealthy in the looks department but the Boras are in your face sexy. My wallet says choose between the two. It’s hard though because the Boras go well with the Campy equipped bikes and the Mavics do well with the SRAM. Also, the Mavic CCU have legendary durability and resilience, strong enough for cyclocross, which is really impressive. As for Lightweights, I’m waiting to see if I can find a cheaper supplier.

The Shamals aren’t that expensive and I’d be using them quite a bit. I also have some Fulcrum Racing Zero 2-Way Fit and Velocite MONC50. The Fulcrums are almost the same as the Shamals, however I’ll be keeping the Shamals for the Super Record equipped bikes and the Fulcrums for the SRAM Red bikes.